Arctotis plant named ‘Archley’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Arctotis plant named ‘Archley’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; very freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; and yellow orange-colored ray florets and nearly black-tipped disc florets with orange-colored pollen.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Arctotis×hybrida cultivarArchley.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Arctotisplant, botanically known as Arctotis×hybrida, and hereinafter referredto by the name ‘Archley’.

The new Arctotis is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia. The objective ofthe breeding program is to create new compact Arctotis cultivars thatflower early and have interesting floret colors.

The new Arctotis originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1998 ofthe Arctotis×hybrida cultivar Flame, not patented, as the female, orseed, parent with the Arctotis×hybrida cultivar Silver Carpet, notpatented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Arctotis wasdiscovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plantwithin the progeny of the stated cross grown in a controlled environmentin Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, in May, 1999.

Asexual reproduction of the new Arctotis by terminal vegetative cuttingswas first conducted in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia in May,1999. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the uniquefeatures of this new Arctotis are stable and reproduced true to type insuccessive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Archley has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength and lightintensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Archley’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Archley’ as a new and distinct Arctotis:

1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.

2. Very freely branching growth habit.

3. Freely flowering habit.

4. Yellow orange-colored ray florets and nearly black-tipped discflorets with orange-colored pollen.

Plants of the new Arctotis are most similar to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Flame. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inCobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Arctotisdiffered from plants of the cultivar Flame in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Developing leaves of plants of the new Arctotis were grey in colorwhereas developing leaves of plants of the cultivar Flame were green incolor.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Arctotis had yellow orange colored rayflorets whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Flame hadorange-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Arctotis can also be compared to plants of the maleparent, the cultivar Silver Carpet. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the newArctotis differed from plants of the cultivar Silver Carpet in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Arctotis were more upright than and not asspreading as plants of the cultivar Silver Carpet.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Arctotis had yellow orange-colored rayflorets whereas flowers of plants of the cultivar Silver Carpet hadpink-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Arctotis differ from plants of the cultivar Archnah,disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently,primarily in plant size, branching habit, leaf color and ray floretcolor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Arctotis showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newArctotis.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Archley’ grown in a 15-cm container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of typicalinflorescences of ‘Archley’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Bonsall, Calif., in an outdoornursery during the late spring and early summer under full sunconditions with day temperatures ranging from 18 to 35° C. and nighttemperatures ranging from 7 to 18° C. After planting rooted cuttings,plants were grown for about six to eight weeks in 15-cm containers.Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 1995 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Botanical classification: Arctotis×hybrida cultivar Archley.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.— Arctotis×hybrida cultivar Flame, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.— Arctotis×hybrida cultivar Silver Carpet, notpatented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate rooting.—About 12 days at 25° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous container and garden plant. Compact,upright and mounded plant habit. Very freely branching, about 20 to 24lateral branches develop per plant; tight clumping habit. Moderatelyvigorous growth habit.

Plant height, soil level to top of foliage.—About 20 cm.

Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About 29 cm.

Plant width or area of spread.—About 34 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 9 cm. Diameter: About 7 mm. Internodelength: About 1.2 cm. Aspect: Upright. Strength: Strong. Texture:Pubescent. Color: 157A to 157B.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Number of leavesper lateral branch: About 8 to 10. Length: About 8 cm. Width: About 4.5cm. Shape: Roughly elliptic; irregularly lobed. Apex: Broadly acute.Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire with irregular lobes, about five toseven lobes per leaf. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Texture, upper andlower surfaces: Pubsecent. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: 156B.Young foliage, lower surface: 157D. Fully expanded foliage, uppersurface: 147A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 194A. Venation,upper surface: 194A to 194B. Venation, lower surface: 194B. Petiole:Length: About 5.2 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Texture, upper and lowersurfaces: Glabrous. Color, upper surface: 147C. Color, lower surface:146B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Single axillary inflorescences held above and beyond thefoliage on strong peduncles. Composite inflorescence form, radiallysymmetrical, with ligulate-shaped ray florets and disc florets massed atthe center; ray and disc florets develop acropetally on a capitulum.Inflorescences persistent. Inflorescences face upright or outward.

Flowering response.—Plants flower continuous and freely from the springthrough the fall.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for about five to ten days on the plant when grown in anoutdoor environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering; about 60 openinflorescences and inflorescence buds per plant.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Inflorescence bud (at stage of showing color).—Length: About 1.5 cm.Diameter: About 1.4 cm. Shape: Roughly spherical. Color, ray florets,lower or outer surface: 22C.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.5 cm. Depth (height): About 2 cm.Disc diameter: About 1.7 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 1.8 cm.Receptacle height: About 1 cm.

Ray florets.—Length: About 3.3 cm. Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Ligulate,elliptic. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture,upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, satiny. Orientation: Initially uprightthen about 10 to 15° from perpendicular; recurving. Number of rayflorets per inflorescence: About 30 in a single whorl. Color: Whenopening, upper surface: Ground color, 23A, tinged with 31A to 31B. Whenopening, lower surface: 23C. Fully opened, upper surface: Ground color,23A, overlain with fine longitudinal stripes, 169A; at the apex, 23B;with development, 23A to 23B. Fully opened, lower surface: 26D.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated; fused at base. Apex:Five-pointed. Length: About 6 mm. Width: At apex: About 2 mm. At base:About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 180. Color:Immature: Close to 202A. Mature, apex: Close to 202A. Mature,mid-section: 22B. Mature, base: 157A.

Phyllaries.—Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Shape:Elliptical. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Fused. Margin: Entire. Texture:Slightly pubescent. Number per inflorescence: About 50 in about three orfour whorls. Color: Upper surface: 146A. Lower surface: 146D.

Peduncles.—Length: About 15.5 cm. Diameter: About 3.5 mm. Angle: Mostlyupright. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 148D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on ray and disc florets. Stamennumber: Five per floret; fused around style. Anther shape: Elongatedoblong. Anther length: About 2 mm. Anther color: 23B. Pollen amount:Moderate. Pollen color: 23A. Gynoecium: Present on ray florets only.Pistil number: One per floret. Pistil length: About 7 mm. Stigma shape:Two-parted. Stigma color: 20A. Style length: About 4 mm. Style color:20C. Ovary color: 157A.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and/or fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common toArctotis has not been observed on plants grown under commercialgreenhouse or outdoor conditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Arctotis plant named‘Archley’, as illustrated and described.